


Five Times Chloe and Ollie Deal With Uncomfortable Situations Together

by bansheequeen (queenbanshee), xtremeroswellian



Series: The Five Times Series [3]
Category: Smallville
Genre: Awkward situations, Christmas, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Green Arrow - Freeform, Holidays, Jonathan Kent side eyes rich people, Love, Parties, Thanksgiving, Watchtower - Freeform, adorable blondes, the five times series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:35:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24166717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenbanshee/pseuds/bansheequeen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Relationships: Oliver Queen/Chloe Sullivan
Series: The Five Times Series [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/33055
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

Chloe lifted a necklace over her neck and looked at her reflection for a moment then made a face and shook her head, lifting a second one and considering before dropping both of them in her jewelry box and picking out a third one, smirking as the green rock, which was not kryptonite but probably nothing of value either, shone in her reflection and nodding to herself. It _was_ Ollie's favorite color and that was a big incentive, but also, it made her eyes pop and that was a plus.

She took a deep breath and reached for her perfume, spraying it in the air then walking through the mist when there was a knock on the door. Chloe frowned. Ollie was supposed to pick her up for their 'two month anniversary dinner' which she was pretty sure normal people didn't celebrate, but he was fifteen minutes early and that wasn't like him, he was usually precisely on time.

When the person knocked again and made her way to the door, "coming," she called, checking on her reflection just one more time before opening the door and stilling. No, definitely not Ollie.

Lois smiled at her brightly. "Hi! I'm in town for a few days. Hope you don't mind a roommate." She moved past her cousin and into the dorm room, dropping her duffel bag onto the floor and bouncing onto the edge of the bed.

Chloe cocked her head a little and shook her head, "hm, no," she said, turning to face her cousin, "when did you get in?" She hadn't exactly updated Lois on anything lately, mostly because she'd been in Europe with the general and messages between them had been very sporadic and brief.

"About three hours ago." She flopped back on the bed. "Ugh, I'm so jet-lagged. Never fly coach from Europe to Kansas. It's torture."

"And you're not staying with the General?" She asked curiously, cocking her head as she watched Lois. She didn't want to kick her out but she did have two superheroes who had the tendency to show up unannounced.

"He's still in Europe, dealing with Lucy's latest crisis." Lois propped herself up on her elbows and looked over at her. "I told him that my favorite cousin needed me." She flashed Chloe another bright smile.

"Right, I'm glad he's still buying that excuse after all these years," Chloe smirked.

"God. Me too. If I'd had to stay there much longer I would've had to throw myself off of London Bridge."

"At least you got to go to Europe," Chloe said, shrugging a little and sitting down on the edge of the bed too, "I'm guessing you're ready to pass out for the next twelve hours or so?"

"Maybe later. I'm _starving_. What do you say we grab some pizza or something?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Oh," Chloe pursed her lips together, "actually I kinda had dinner p--" she paused at the knock on the door and wrinkled her nose a little, she'd been hoping to tell Lois about him _before_ he got there. Damn him for always being on time, "plans." She told Lois and took a deep breath before standing up and looking at the door, "come in." She called.

Lois glanced toward the door expectantly, falling silent, her eyes widening a little when she saw Oliver Queen stepping inside.

His eyes were immediately drawn to Chloe, and he smiled softly, his eyes bright. He'd been looking forward to dinner all day. "You look beautiful," he said quietly, not even noticing Lois at first.

Chloe held her breath and smiled softly at him, holding his gaze, "thank you," she said quietly then shifting on her heels, last time they were all in the same room Oliver had been there to pick up _Lois_ so they could go on a date and that had gone horribly bad, "you, hm, you remember my cousin Lois, right?" She tried, motioning to her.

Oliver blinked and looked over to the brunette sprawled on the bed. "Oh. Right. Hi," he said awkwardly, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.

With a deep breath, Chloe looked down at her cousin, "Lois just got back from Europe, like, right this second."

He raised his eyebrows at that information. "Oh." He hesitated, glancing between them and then toward the door with a fair amount of uncertainty. "Should we...reschedule?" He tried to hide his disappointment, but he knew that Lois was more like a sister to Chloe than a cousin, and figured she'd probably want to spend some time with her.

Lois frowned. "No. Just buy us some dinner and we can all hang out."

At that, Chloe looked over at Lois then back at Ollie, she wanted to apologize to him, but didn't think she could do it without hurting Lois' feelings, "would you mind if she joined us for dinner?" She asked with every intention of letting her cousin have the dorm to herself that night, _after_ dinner.

He figured that having dinner with both of them still meant having dinner with Chloe, which would always be preferable to eating alone. "No, that's fine. I can go get something," he said, nodding and smiling a little. "What sounds good?"

"Pizza," Lois said immediately. "Oh, god. Pizza with tons of meat. Sausage and pepperoni and ham."

"Are you sure," She asked Ollie, ignoring her cousin for the time being.

He met her eyes, holding her gaze and nodding slightly. "Definitely."

"Okay," Chloe breathed and glanced at her cousin then took Ollie by the hand and dragged him back out of the dorm, closing the door behind them and looking up at him, "I'm _so_ sorry, Ollie. She just showed up and I haven't seen her in a while so I can't just... kick her out."

He offered her a gentle smile, lifting his free hand to her cheek. "I wouldn't expect you to. She's family."

Her face softened at that and she took a deep breath, nodding a little, "so why don't I update her on everything while you go get food and then I can also pack some stuff and we can go over to your place after dinner?"

Oliver dipped his neck and kissed her mouth softly. "I can do that. And if you want to spend time with Lois, it's okay," he said sincerely. "I'm always here."

She relaxed a little and nodded, leaning closer and kissing him softly again, "I will, tomorrow, not tonight."

He smiled at that. "All right." He brushed his nose lightly over hers, his eyes bright. "Should I pick up anything else while I'm getting pizza?"

"Maybe soda?" She said, pursing her lips together, "I'm _really_ sorry."

"Shh." He silenced her with another kiss. "Stop apologizing. I'm not upset. I promise."

Chloe searched his eyes for a moment then nodded a little, taking a deep breath, "okay, I'll see you soon, then?"

"I'll be back before you even have a chance to miss me," he told her with a soft smile, kissing her forehead. He turned to head away, then paused and looked at her once more. "You really do look stunning."

She held her breath and looked at him for a moment, shaking her head a little and grinning shyly, "I'll see you soon," she told him before reaching for the door and pushing it open again.

He grinned as he watched her step into her dorm room, then nodded politely at a couple of the girls passing by him in the hallway as he made his way toward the exit.

Chloe took a deep breath and closed the door again, waiting to be bombarded by the thousand questions her cousin would no doubt want to ask her.

Lois raised her eyebrows at her. "So you and Billionaire Boy Wonder are getting pretty serious?"

Biting down on her bottom lip, Chloe walked over to her and shrugged, "kinda?"

"Well, you're awfully dressed up for dinner with a good friend, aren't you?" She smirked.

"Yeah, well, he can afford all the five star restaurants, you never really know where you'll end up with him." She said, arching her eyebrow.

"Like Paris?" Lois sat up on the bed, studying her cousin intently as though she knew for sure she was onto something big.

"Like the restaurant on top of the Metropolitan, you're going way too far, Lo."

She eyed her suspiciously. "Maybe so far."

Chloe took a deep breath, "okay, fine, we're pretty serious but we're not taking spontaneous trips to Paris anytime soon," she told her, sitting back down on her bed.

Lois arched an eyebrow. "And why not? It's not like he can't afford it or you don't deserve it."

"Because I don't want him to think I expect anything like that," she told her, "mostly every woman he's been with before was interested in his money and I'm not."

She pursed her lips at that and then nodded a little, satisfied with the answer. "So how is he?"

"He's good," Chloe said, not sure how her cousin meant the question.

"Just _good_?"

She cocked her head at her cousin, "what exactly are we talking about here?"

Lois sighed heavily. "Sex. You know, the horizontal tango. How is it?" 

Sighing, Chloe rolled her eyes at her cousin, "amazing, mind-blowing, incredible," she said, arching her eyebrows and smirking slightly, she wasn't one to kiss and tell but she knew Lois would never leave her alone without a straight answer.

She grinned brightly. "See? That wasn't so hard." She smirked.

"Yeah, well," Chloe shrugged, "just make sure to behave when he gets back? Clark already gave him a hard enough time as is."

"That's because Smallville is the most uptight guy around." She rolled her eyes.

"Still, Lo," Chloe said, arching an eyebrow, "go easy on him."

"Hey, when do I ever not go easy on people?" she asked innocently.

"Uh huh," she got up again and reached under her bed, pulling out an overnight bag, "anyway, we'll have dinner and then you can have the room to yourself."

"So you can have some of that amazing, mind-blowing incredible sex?" She smirked.

Chloe felt her cheeks getting warm but rolled her eyes, "yeah, well that and so that we don't have to share a twin bed."

Lois simply grinned at her victoriously.

Shaking her head, she took a deep breath, "so how are things with Lucy and the General?" She asked, mostly trying to change the subject.

She rolled her eyes at that, flopping back onto the bed once more. "Same ole."

"Are you gonna start taking classes again?" She asked curiously as she shoved a couple of things in her overnight bag.

"I don't know. Maybe." She cocked her head to the side.

"Are you okay, Lo?" She asked, turning to face her cousin and frowning a little.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Lois shrugged a little.

Cocking her head, Chloe dropped her bag on the floor and arched her eyebrows at her cousin.

"Okay, so I have no idea what I'm doing now," she admitted, sighing.

"Well you just got back to the country, you should take some time to decide," she suggested, walking back to the bed and sitting down next to Lois, "maybe look at the classes they'll have in the summer and see if anything sounds interesting?"

Lois glanced at her. "I don't know if I'm really cut out for the whole school thing, Cuz."

"It's not that bad once you find a pace that works for you," of course, a pace that worked for Chloe was six classes a semester, but she and Lois always worked in different ways when it came to school, "and you can take online classes and they are a lot easier."

She cocked her head to the side, thinking about it. "Maybe."

"I can help you find a job if you want to?" She suggested.

"Maybe both. I think tonight I just want to stuff myself full of pizza and pass out for twelve hours."

Chloe smiled softly at that and reached for her cousin's hand, squeezing it, "sounds good, maybe you can come meet me for lunch tomorrow?"

Lois yawned. "Count on it."

"Are you sure you'll be up long enough for pizza?"

"I'm too hungry to sleep." She stretched on the bed, yawning again.

"I'm sure he won't be much longer," she promised, watching her cousin closely, she was sure the General had given her another one of his 'what are you doing with your life' talks and that was never easy on her, so she made a mental note to help her out with figuring it out.

Lois rolled over so she was on her side, and propped her head up on one hand, studying Chloe. "So you really like him?"

Chloe paused at that and took a deep breath, nodding a little, "I like him a lot," more like she loved him and even though she said told Ollie as much, she didn't know if Lois was ready to hear that, especially when she was in some kind of life crisis.

She smiled. "I suppose I'll go easy on him as long as I have no reason not to." 

"You don't have any reasons not to," she assured her, smiling softly, "he's a good guy."

"Good. Because you deserve someone who appreciates you," Lois informed her.

With a deep breath, Chloe smiled and nodded a little, "you don't have to worry about that."

At that moment there was a knock on the door. "I come bearing food."

Chloe's face brightened at that and she got up from the bed, making her way over to the door and opening it for him, "then you're welcome here."

Lois watched the way her cousin's face lit up at the sound of his voice and smiled.

Smiling brightly at Ollie, she took the plastic bag with the sodas from him and stepped aside, making room for him without taking her eyes off his face.

He grinned back at her just as brightly, carrying the pizza inside.

Chloe closed the door and followed him, finally realizing the way her cousin was looking at her and rolling her eyes a little but smiling as she placed the bottles over the desk then reached for glasses, "should we eat?"

"God, yes. I'm starving." Lois sat up quickly.

Oliver leaned down and kissed Chloe's forehead lightly without thinking about it. "It smells good."

Grinning softly, Chloe looked from the boxes to Ollie, "you even went to the good place." She said, filling three glasses with soda. 

"And came back pretty fast. Bonus points for that," Lois informed them, stuffing a bite of pizza in her mouth.

Chloe grinned and sat down on the edge of the bed and shrugged, "see? Lois likes you already, you have nothing to worry about when you finally meet dad."

Lois raised her eyebrows at that. "You're gonna meet Uncle Gabe?" she asked around the food.

Oliver looked at Chloe, wondering if the two women were really blood-related. "Hopefully."

"Eventually," Chloe said, looking from Lois to Ollie, "well, technically you already met him," she teased, smirking.

He smirked back at her. "I don't think that really counts, though."

"He remembers it," she told him, smirking more as she took a bite of her pizza.

He smiled a little. "Hopefully that doesn't count against me."

"Not that I know of," she told him then glanced over at Lois, "you remember that, right? When dad and I went to pick up Lex from Excelsior?"

Lois raised an eyebrow, taking a drink of soda. "I remember. You sent me a picture."

"Yeah," Chloe grinned, "and I found that picture just what, a month ago?" She said, turning to Ollie, doing her best to make sure both of them were comfortable.

"Yeah, it wasn't very long ago." He smiled softly at her.

"Well, almost a decade ago, I think I was twelve or thirteen." She told him, pursing her lips together as she tried to remember.

"I was sixteen," he said softly. "So yeah. That would be about right."

"It's kind of weird that you two have met so many times before, isn't it?" Lois raised her eyebrows, watching them intently.

"Yeah, kinda," Chloe agreed, glancing at her cousin, "we just kept bumping into each other."

Oliver smiled a little. "I suppose it is a little odd."

"In a good way?" She asked him, arching her eyebrows.

"In the best way," he said quietly.

She grinned softly and nodded at him, holding his gaze before turning back to her pizza, she couldn't help but wonder if she would ever _not_ feel the butterflies in her stomach every time he looked at her like that.

Lois looked between them and shook her head, smiling a little. Looked like her little cousin was in good hands.

* * *

An hour and a half later found Oliver and Chloe heading up the elevator that led to his penthouse. His arms were wrapped around her waist from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder. "I thought about you all day." His voice was soft. That in and of itself wasn't unusual. She seemed to be on his mind in a rather consistent basis. But two months had been a record for him--his relationships in the past tended to be quick and brutal. This was anything but. This felt comfortable, right.

Chloe smiled at his words, brushing her fingers over his arms lightly as she turned her head as well as she could, pressing a kiss to his jaw, "I thought about you too," she whispered. This was her longest and pretty much only relationship ever, the thing she had with Clark in high school was one-sided and with Jimmy it had been too brief to be considered a relationship at all.

He smiled softly when she kissed him and he shifted, kissing her cheek lightly. "What do you want to do tonight?"

She leaned back against him and closed her eyes for a second before looking at him again, "I don't care as long as you're involved."

His arms tightened around her just a little. "I love you." His voice was soft.

"I love you too," she said quietly, wrapping her arms around his, "I'm sorry about the late start on alone time tonight."

Oliver brushed his nose against hers. "Shh. Stop apologizing. It was fine."

"I know, that was the last time," she said, kissing the corner of his mouth.

He grinned at that. "Somehow I doubt it." There was a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Yeah, yeah, maybe you know me too well for your own good," she teased.

He chuckled. "And Lois doesn't seem like the kind of person to be detoured for long."

"She's not, you're lucky she was tired," she told him, "I'm meeting with her for lunch tomorrow."

Oliver smiled, guiding her off the elevator and into the apartment.

"Did you have anything planned for us tonight?" she asked, turning to face him and walking backwards.

"Maybe a little something." His eyes were bright as he followed her, dipping his head to kiss her.

She smiled against his lips and kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and stepping closer to him.

He grinned back, sliding his arms around her, as well. "Come on." He turned them toward the hallway.

Chloe walked with him, keeping her arms around his neck but not bothering turning to face the hallway, she trusted him to guide her.

Oliver dipped his head, kissing her lightly once more as he guided her down the hall toward the bedroom. He reached out, flipping on the light to reveal the room that was full of tulips of every color.

She looked up at him when he turned on the lightly then paused, looking around and smiling when she saw all the flowers, "Ollie," she whispered, "you didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to," he murmured, kissing her cheek. "They're your favorite."

"You're so amazing," she said, turning to look at him again and cupping his cheek.

Oliver leaned into her touch, his smile soft. He tugged her closer to him, kissing her softly.

Chloe kissed him back, hugging him back tightly, pulling him as close as she could.

He slid a hand up and into her hair, slowly deepening the kiss. It was their two month anniversary and he'd survived his first semi-awkward family dinner with her cousin. They had plenty of reasons to celebrate.


	2. Chapter 2

Chloe took a bite of her cookies and cream ice cream then picked up some more and held the spoon toward Ollie, "c'mon, I'll eat the whole thing if you don't help me, I picked one without nuts just so you could have some," she mock pouted from her position half laying on him, half laying on the couch under the blankets. It was Sunday night and they hadn't left the Clocktower all day, well, since the previous night, really. Days in which they could just lay around and enjoy each others' company were rare, but they were always nice to have when they could.

He grinned a little, taking a bite of the ice cream and swallowing it down before pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I can't eat too much of it. It'll go straight to my hips," he teased, tickling her side.

She laughed and squirmed, "no tickling when there is ice cream involved!" She complained, "besides, you totally just called me fat."

"I did _not_!" He reached out and stuck his finger in the ice cream carton, rubbing it on her nose and grinning brightly.

Chloe gasped and stilled, crossing her eyes and looking down at her nose then smirking suggestively at him, "are you planning on cleaning that? Because if you don't it will drip all over your blanket and your shirt," which she was wearing along with her underwear, clothes had been optional all day after all.

"I fully intended to," he informed her, leaning in and licking her nose lightly.

She grinned mischievously once he was done and turned her head a little, brushing her tongue against his.

He smirked, sliding a hand up and into her hair, slanting his mouth over hers and kissing her without hesitation.

Chloe kissed him wetly and shifted, sliding a finger inside the carton and brushing ice cream over his cheek.

He chuckled. "I should've known you had an ulterior motive," he teased, nibbling on her lower lip.

She shifted more and turned her head, running her tongue over his cheek slowly and licking the ice cream off then nibbling on his skin, "what? Making you taste so... lickable? I think that works in your favor," she murmured against his skin.

"Thought I already was lickable," he murmured, sliding his hand beneath her shirt and laying his palm over her back.

"Even more now," she said, shivering a little and kissing his cheek then his jaw.

He groaned softly, turning his head and kissing her once more, more urgently this time.

Chloe kissed him back, reaching behind him and placing the ice cream carton on top of the small table next to the couch before sliding her cold hand down his bare chest.

Oliver shivered involuntarily, pulling her flush against him.

She smiled against his lips and kissed him a little harder, wrapping her other arm around his neck as she moved to sit across his lap, not even hearing as the elevator arrived and someone pushed the gate open then stepped inside.

Chloe did hear, however, when said person cleared her throat expectantly.

He broke the kiss, blinking a few times as he tried to catch his breath, looking over his shoulder. His eyes widened at the sight of Tess Mercer standing there.

Her face got hot instantly and Chloe pulled the blanket up higher over herself as she slid down from his lap back to the couch.

"Oliver," Tess said, not bothering with acknowledging the blonde.

He held his breath for a moment, then turned to look at Chloe, his eyes filled with apologies as he leaned in and kissed her forehead. Exhaling slowly, he reached over and grabbed his shirt off the chair, tugging it on over his head and suddenly feeling glad he already had pants on. "Tess," he said uncertainly, rising to his feet.

Unlike him, Chloe didn't have pants on, and she had no idea where the ones she'd been wearing the previous night had been left at, so she stayed exactly where she was, glancing at Ollie when he stood then looking back at the woman, she didn't recognize her right away, but when he called her by her name, memories of the press conference she'd seen him at shortly after he got back from the island flooded her. She was Ollie's ex, the one who had been there with him and who had also been at the press conference, looking a lot less confident and a lot shakier at that time. 

"I need to discuss business with you," she finally turned to look at the blond and arched an eyebrow, "in private."

He was genuinely thrown by that. "Business?" he echoed.

Tess smirked at him slightly but said nothing, she saw no point in repeating herself.

"It's okay, Ollie," Chloe offered, shifting slightly on the couch and looking from the woman, to him and back again.

"No." He glanced back at her, meeting her eyes for a moment, then looking back at Tess. "Whatever it is you want to discuss, we can discuss in front of my girlfriend."

"Is that what you're calling them now?" Tess asked with a hint of amusement.

Chloe's eyes narrowed instantly and she sat up but didn't move much since her lack of pants was still an issue, "not 'them', just me."

Oliver's mouth thinned into a line. "What do you want, Tess?"

"Is she even legal, Oliver?" Tess asked, eying the girl, "God knows you don't need anything else to add to your horrible PR."

His jaw tightened. "Are you going to tell me why you're here, or are you just going to stand here and insult me?"

"I'm not going anywhere so you might as well tell him since you interrupted us, and we would like to get back to what we were doing," Chloe told Tess, not exactly her best, but at least it was something.

Shaking her head, Tess ignored Chloe and turned to Oliver, "I thought you would like to know I'm leaving for South America in the morning."

He paused at that, thrown once more. "South America for what?" He cocked his head to the side.

"To complete new research for my new employer," Tess told him, smirking slowly.

Oliver raised his eyebrows at that, then glanced at Chloe again, not sure what this had to do with him. "All right..."

Chloe looked back at Ollie and shrugged a little, completely confused as to why the woman would think that mattered to Ollie. As far as she knew, they hadn't been talking much, if at all, since they broke up.

"Lex Luthor." Tess added.

He simply stared at her for a moment. "Well, good luck with your new job, and I hope you have a good flight." His voice betrayed nothing of his emotions.

"I'm sure we'll be hearing from each other soon in a much more..." she eyed Chloe, "professional setting."

"Assuming Lex isn't just going to use you for whatever he wants and dump your body in the Amazon, of course. He has a tendency to do that," Chloe said politely and even smiled at the other woman.

Oliver raised an eyebrow at Tess. "Good luck with whatever it is you hope to achieve with this," he said, nodding toward the elevator.

"You will know when I've reached my goal." She told him, smirking and not bothering with the blonde before making her way back to the elevator.

Somehow he didn't doubt that at all. He watched her go, watching the elevator descend and rubbing a hand over the back of his neck silently.

Chloe didn't move or say anything for a moment, she made sure the elevator was gone then watched Ollie silently, trying to read him for a second longer before raising her eyebrows, "are you okay?"

He blew out a breath, and turned to face her. "Yeah." His voice was quiet. "Sorry about that. I didn't even know she knew where I lived."

"You don't have to apologize," she said sincerely, getting up from the couch now that her lack of pants didn't matter anymore and walking over to him.

He lifted his head to look at her silently for a moment. Then he slid his arms around her, shutting his eyes and exhaling.

She pursed her lips together and hugged him back, suddenly a little more worried about him.

Oliver pulled away a moment later. "That was uh...awkward, huh?"

Chloe smiled a little and kissed his shoulder, "I guess it could have been worse? We could have had less clothes on." She pointed out, lifting her head to look at him.

He lifted a hand to her cheek, kissing her forehead softly.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second then pulled back enough to look at him, "are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah." His voice was quiet. "She's made her choices."

"Why do you think she came by to tell you that?" Chloe asked quietly but curiously as she rubbed her hands over his back.

Oliver shut his eyes for a moment, resting his forehead against hers. "Because she knows I can't stand Lex Luthor."

"Right and she wanted you to feel like it was a personal attack?" She asked quietly, lifting a hand to his neck and rubbing her fingers against his skin.

"She wanted to let me know that she made the decision because of me."

Chloe's face fell at that, "because of you?"

He opened his eyes but couldn't meet hers. "Because she knew it would hurt me."

Her chest tightened a little and she shifted, wrapping her arms around him tightly, "I'm sorry, Ollie," based on the look on his face, she didn't have to ask if it had worked.

He hugged her back without hesitation, his own chest tight as he buried his face in her hair. "It's not your fault."

She leaned her head against his then turned it, pressing a kiss to his hair, "no, but I'm still sorry she went out of her way to bother you for no apparent reason."

"Because I hurt her," he said quietly.

"Ollie," Chloe shook her head a little, "that was a long time ago."

"Not so long. A year." He drew in a breath and let it out slowly.

"Long enough that she shouldn't feel the need to do this anymore, and if she does, it's her problem Ollie, it's not your fault."

Nodding a little, he pulled back to gaze at her. "Chloe, things with her...it was different." He lifted one of her hands to his mouth and pressed a kiss to her palm. "We were never...it never felt right," he whispered. "It doesn't excuse what I did, but..."

Chloe brushed her thumb over his cheek and watched him closely, "you don't have to explain yourself to me," she whispered, "we can talk about it if you want to, but you don't have to feel like you owe me anything as far as your past relationships go."

"I just need you to know that this is different." He swallowed hard, his chest tight. "What you and I have, it's...I never told her I loved her because I didn't."

She blinked a couple of times, sincerely surprised by the confession but even as she cupped his cheek, her other arm tightened around him, "you didn't?" She whispered, she knew he had never said the words to anyone besides her and his parents when they were alive, he had told her as much the first time he told her he loved her, but to find out he didn't even feel that way...

"I liked her. I cared about her." He shut his eyes for a moment. "I never wanted to hurt her. But I didn't love her," he whispered.

"Then it was going to end sooner or later," she whispered, kissing his cheek, "and maybe it could have been easier, but you can't keep blaming yourself, Ollie."

"I just don't want you to think that I'll make the same mistake again." His voice was soft and he hugged her once more. He needed her to have faith in him.

"I don't think that, I would never think that of you," she told him, cupping his face in her hands and looking up at him, "I trust you."

Oliver leaned into her touch, searching her eyes. "How did I get this lucky?" he murmured.

She smiled softly at that and brushed her nose against his, "we both did, life kept trying to bring us together, it just took us a while to see it."

"I'm so glad we did," he said quietly, pressing a tender kiss to the corner of her mouth.

Chloe kissed him softly on the lips and nodded a little, "me too," she whispered against his mouth, "I love you."

"I love you," he whispered back.

She took a deep breath and looked up at him, searching his eyes and smiling softly, "stop worrying, okay? Don't let her get to you."

Oliver held her gaze, finding himself relaxing at her soft words and nodding. He kissed the palm of her hand again and smiled. "I do believe we were in the middle of something..." His eyes were bright once more.

"I do believe you're right," she whispered, relaxing too and smiling at him.

Without warning, he shifted and picked her up, flashing her a bright grin. He pressed his mouth against hers even as he carried her back toward the sofa. If Tess and Lex were up to no good, they'd find out eventually. Until then, there wasn't really anything they could do about it. And he was done wasting time.


	3. Chapter 3

Oliver Queen did not do holidays.

The last time he'd celebrated any of the traditional holidays, he'd been four, before his parents had been killed in a plane crash. The past year, Tess had tried talking him into putting up a Christmas tree, and didn't understand why he hadn't wanted to. He wasn't exactly into the holiday traditions.

But this year was different.

This year he'd gotten an invitation to the Kents' farm for Thanksgiving -- from Chloe.

And while he wasn't exactly looking forward to it, he knew she wanted to go, and he knew his being there really meant something to her, which was why he was dressed in a nice button-down white shirt and a pair of nice jeans. She'd warned him that Jonathan Kent tended to have some issues with people who had a great deal of money. And the Kents' main experience with wealthy individuals had been with Lionel and Lex Luthor, so he wanted to make sure he made a good impression on the man. On all of them, actually.

Because these people were important to Chloe, and he didn't want to cause any problems or issues for her or complicate things for her when it came to other people in her life.

He had no family, and he was well-aware of how important it was to make sure any and all familial relationships stayed in-tact.

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly as he knocked on the door to her dorm room and waited, so they could drive over.

Chloe had dressed up a little, she was wearing a nice blouse and dress pants but nothing too fancy, she wanted to be comfortable after all since they always ate way too much when Mrs. Kent cooked. She'd been looking forward to today for a while now since Ollie was supposed to meet her dad during Thanksgiving dinner with the Kents, but he had been in the Northeast for work and due to a snowstorm, he had ended up being stuck there for the holiday.

She was a little disappointed, but she was still looking forward to making sure Ollie had an actual family to celebrate Thanksgiving with.

A moment later, she opened the door and smiled up at him, "hey, I'm almost ready, just need to find my phone."

Oliver smiled back at her. "And you look incredible as always." He dipped his head and kissed her softly.

Chloe smiled more and kissed him back, reaching for his hand, "thank you for agreeing to this." She told him quietly.

He nodded a little, gazing at her intently. "It's been a long time since I've done anything for Thanksgiving." He hesitated. "I'm a little nervous."

Squeezing his hand, she nodded a little, "well, you don't have to do anything, just come with me, smile and stuff your face, we won't stay long after dinner." She promised.

"I made a green bean casserole." He raised his eyebrows uncertainly.

"You did?" She asked, surprised, she knew he could cook, but she had assured him he didn't have to do anything.

"I just...don't want to come off as the spoiled little rich boy," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

Her face softened and she shook her head, leaning in and kissing his cheek, "you won't, Ollie. They know you're important to me, I've never invited anyone to one of their holiday parties before, it will be okay."

He drew in a breath, wrapping his arms around her for a moment before releasing her so she could find her phone. "All right."

Chloe took a deep breath and reluctantly walked back into her room, "besides," she said, "Lois and Clark will be there and at least you know both of them already."

Right. Lois and _Clark_. He could hardly wait.

* * *

The drive to Smallville had been longer than usual due to bad weather, but Chloe kept him busy by telling him stories and asking him questions, she wanted to get him to relax and enjoy himself, not worry about what Mr. Kent may or may not think of him, she knew Mrs. Kent wouldn't be a problem, but she also knew Mr. Kent could be incredibly uptight and judgmental so she would do her best to keep them apart as much as possible.

"Turn left over there at that gate," she told him as they approached the Kent farm.

Nodding a little, he turned the wheel and steered the car down the snowy lane as she'd directed, forcing himself to take a deep breath as he parked in the driveway and turned off the engine. 

Chloe turned to look at him and smiled softly, feeling the tension coming from him, "it'll be okay, Ollie. My dad won't be here," she reminded him, "and the Kents are nice people." Mostly, anyway.

Oliver turned his head to look at her. He knew that the Kents were like a second family to Chloe and had been since she'd first moved to Smallville with her dad. He leaned over and kissed her cheek lightly. "I know," he said softly. "Come on." He got out of the car, then moved around to the passenger side, opening it for her and holding his hand out.

She took his hand and got out of his car, looking up at him and kissing him softly then smiling and reaching back inside the car for the dish he had made, "here, Mrs. Kent will love that you actually brought food since Lois and I can't cook at all."

He smiled faintly at that. "Well, you can, it's just kind of scary when you do," he teased, taking the dish from her and holding out his arm.

"I think you mean inedible," she said, smirking and cocking her head as she took his arm and started toward the house.

He grinned involuntarily, leading her up the porch steps and to the front door, knocking lightly.

Clark opened the door a moment later and smiled, "hey," he greeted, "come in."

Chloe smiled at him and stepped inside, bringing Ollie with her, "hey, sorry we're a little late, the weather is insane."

"You're not," Clark assured them, "Lois isn't here yet."

Oliver smiled and nodded at Clark, helping Chloe take her coat off and moving to hang it up, still carefully holding onto the dish of casserole he'd made.

"Thank you," she told him, taking the casserole from him so he could take his own coat off, "Ollie cooked," she told Clark.

Clark arched his eyebrows, a little afraid, "what did you make?"

"Green bean casserole," he said, raising his own eyebrows.

"He's a great cook, not anything like Lois and I," Chloe assured Clark and smirked.

"Oh," he relaxed a little and took the dish from Chloe, "mom will be happy, she always thinks there isn't enough food, thank you."

Oliver relaxed a little, as well, nodding. "Not a problem." He glanced over at Chloe and smiled as he shrugged out of his jacket and hung it up with Chloe's. "It smells really good in here." 

"The turkey should be ready in about an hour." He told them.

"Where are your parents?" Chloe asked, noticing the house was quiet.

"Mom is in the kitchen, Dad had to go into town to pick up butter." Clark explained.

He moved back to Chloe's side, sliding his arm around her waist and kissing her forehead lightly. "I should see if she needs any help."

"You're more qualified than I am," Chloe encouraged.

Clark nodded a little and started toward the kitchen, "over this way."

Oliver smiled at her before reluctantly pulling away to follow Clark into the spacious kitchen. He'd never met Mrs. Kent before, but everything that Chloe told him indicated she was a very warm, caring individual.

Martha turned and smiled. "You must be Oliver." She moved over to him, extending her hand.

He returned the smile without hesitation, reaching out and shaking her hand. "Mrs. Kent. It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot of good things from Clark and Chloe."

"Oliver brought green bean casserole," Clark announced, taking the dish to the table.

Her eyes widened a little at that, and her smile brightened. "Thank you," she said sincerely, glancing over at Chloe with raised eyebrows.

"It's not a problem," Oliver assured her, glancing around. "Do you need any help? I know my way around the kitchen pretty well."

Chloe grinned softly at Mrs. Kent and shrugged a little, "he's a really good cook," she told him, patting Ollie's arm, "he won't poison anyone like Lois and I would."

Martha smiled and looked at Oliver once more. "In that case, I'd love the help." Her voice was light.

He grinned. "Just tell me what you still need done."

"Well, the vegetables for the salad still need chopping."

"I'm on it." He moved over to the cutting board where they lay and picked up the knife.

Chloe watched Ollie for a moment then smiled at Mrs. Kent as she pulled her into a hug, "it's good to see you."

Clark picked up the fresh vegetables and placed the next to the board for Oliver, "I think that's everything she wanted."

He nodded a little, glancing over at Clark with a smile. "Thanks for the invitation."

Shrugging a little, Clark smiled back at Oliver and nodded, "sure."

He set to work chopping up the vegetables and tossing them into the salad bowl, glancing over his shoulder to smile at Chloe as he found himself relaxing.

Chloe held his gaze and smiled warmly, nodding a little at him, she had had no doubt he was going to be fine, but the fact that Clark seemed to be in his best behavior helped. 

Martha watched the silent interaction between them and smiled knowingly at Chloe. "He's very handsome," she commented quietly enough so Oliver wouldn't overhear.

Blinking, Chloe turned to look at the older woman and smiled back at her, nodding, "thank you, I have to agree." She smiled a little more, "thank you for having us over."

"Of course. You're family." Martha hugged her again.

She hugged her back and nodded a little, looking back at Ollie, her face softening a little, hopefully this would make him more comfortable with everyone and feel like he didn't have to be alone, especially for the holidays, anymore.

* * *

An hour later found all six of them gathered around the dinner table.

"I'm _starving_ ," Lois exclaimed, filling her plate with the different foods. She eyed the green bean casserole. "Chloe says you're a good cook, so I hope this isn't one of those rose-colored glasses things." She raised an eyebrow at him and scooped a spoonful of it onto her plate.

"Well why don't you find out for yourself?" Chloe asked, smirking at her cousin.

She smirked back at her. "I intend to."

Martha smiled and took the casserole next, scooping some onto her plate before handing it to Jonathan.

He shook his head at it and passed it on to Clark.

Clark scooped some on his plate without thinking about it.

"So what's the verdict?" Chloe asked her cousin, smiling at her as she took a bite.

Lois cocked her head to the side, raising her eyebrows. "You're right. He _is_ a good cook."

Oliver smiled at that, ducking his head a little. "Everything's really good, Mrs. Kent."

She smiled back at him. "Thank you, Oliver."

"It looks like there is nothing Mr. Queen _can't_ do," Jonathan commented.

Chloe's smile faltered and she looked over at the man, "he is pretty dedicated to things when he decides to do something," she said, adding a smile but trying to cut him if he was going to start insulting her boyfriend.

Oliver glanced from Chloe over to Jonathan, offering him a small, albeit sincere smile. "Well, I've been on my own for a long time, so cooking was kind of a necessity."

"You couldn't pay anyone to do it for you?" He asked, taking a bite of his food then chuckling, "I'm sure you could afford it unlike the rest of us."

"Well, when I was a teenager, before I got stranded on an island, one of the cooks that used to work for my parents poisoned my food," he informed him. "I've been a little wary about whose food I'm willing to eat ever since. And I like to be self-sufficient anyway." He shrugged a little, taking another bite of his food.

With a deep breath, Chloe reached over and placed her hand on his leg, giving it a soft squeeze.

"I see," Jonathan nodded, "and how do you like being in charge of your parent's company? I'm sure having so many people answering to you at such a young age must be thrilling."

Oliver paused at that, sitting back in his seat and gazing at Jonathan intently. "Actually, it's a lot to deal with. My father left behind an amazing legacy and a solid reputation that I struggle every day to try my best to uphold. I do the best that I can and I'm not afraid to ask for help or take advice from anyone in my company that has suggestions, considering how much longer they've worked there."

Chloe glanced at Mrs. Kent, silently hoping she would stop her husband.

Jonathan considered the younger man for a moment then nodded, taking a bite of his food before looking at him again. 

Martha looked over at Jonathan, giving him a meaningful look and then turning back to Oliver. "Sounds like you've taken on quite a lot. From everything I've read, you're quite well-liked in the business world and in Star City."

He smiled faintly at that. "I hope so." His voice was quiet and he glanced over at Chloe.

Lois pursed her lips. "Well, you make my cousin happy, so you're okay by me." She took a drink.

Clark looked up after a moment and realized everyone was looking at Oliver so he did too and added, "I like the green beans."

Chloe took a deep breath and relaxed a little, "everything tastes great."

Oliver picked up his glass of water with one hand, covering Chloe's hand with his free one and giving it a gentle squeeze.

She squeezed his hand back and smiled softly at him as she leaned back against her chair.

Oliver met her eyes and smiled back warmly. "Love you," he mouthed.

"Love you," she mouthed back to him, resisting the urge to lean closer to him and press her lips to him.

Clark watched the exchange and arched his eyebrows then looked back down to his plate quickly.

He smiled a bit more, his eyes bright.

She held her breath and smiled back at him, nodding slightly. Even if it hadn't been perfect and Mr. Kent had been kind of a jerk, it had gone well and more importantly, Ollie looked happy.


	4. Chapter 4

The day Chloe had been dreading since Thanksgiving had finally arrived. In a twisted way, she wanted to blame Ollie for torturing her with this _because_ she had tortured him with dinner at the Kent's, but she knew deep down that he just wanted her company. Still, she was more than a little nervous to be going with the CEO of Queen Industries to the company's Christmas party.

She had packed her things earlier that day and brought them all to the Clocktower, where the dress Oliver had gotten her especially for the occasion was. The dress was beautiful and tasteful, it was forest green and it dipped down in the back but the front of it was more modest, there was enough cleavage to shape her body, but not enough to make her feel exposed, even Chloe herself had to admit she looked good in it, and that was not something she often thought about herself.

She'd been ready for about ten minutes already but she still hadn't left the guest room where she'd been getting ready, mostly because she was afraid of walking and ripping the dress in the very first step but also because she knew that once she stepped out of the room, they had to get going.

It wasn't her intention to make him late, however, and she knew he was getting impatient because she could hear him walking up and down the hallway, probably stopping himself from knocking on the door, so she knew she had to start moving.

With a deep breath, she picked the dress up and started toward the door of the room, opening it slowly before stepping out in the hallway, trying to figure out where he was.

Oliver was standing in the kitchen, sipping a glass of water when he heard light footsteps from down the hall. He set his glass down, moving to the entrance. "Hey, is everything--" He froze when he saw her, his eyes widening a little as his gaze swept over her, taking in the sight before him. She was the most stunning woman he'd ever seen. He felt his chest tighten and he swallowed hard, suddenly feeling a little nervous. "Wow." 

Her cheek and chest felt hot instantly and she knew she was blushing but she couldn't help but grin a little at the look on his face, shifting slightly between her two feet and cocking her head a little.

"Wow," he whispered again, slowly moving toward her once more. "You look incredible." 

"So do you," she said sincerely, smiling shyly at him, he always looked amazing in anything, he also looked amazing in nothing, but she wasn't going to allow her brain to go in that direction. The tailored suit he was wearing and the tie that matched the color of her dress perfectly just made him look like someone out of a magazine photoshoot.

He smiled back at her, his eyes bright. "Thank you," he said softly, his gaze still traveling over her. He swallowed hard, loosening his collar just a little.

Grinning softly at the obvious effect she was having on him, she arched her eyebrows a little, "should we go?" It had definitely helped her relax and now she couldn't wait to get it over with so she could use it to her advantage the way he was looking at her.

"Actually, I'm wondering how much crap I'd get if we just didn't show up," he responded, his gaze intense.

Biting down on her bottom lip, she looked at him for a moment, "how long do we have to be there for?" She asked quietly, not reaching out to touch him like she wanted to.

He forced himself to take a deep breath. "We just need to put in an appearance and I need to hand out some envelopes and then we can leave," he told her, searching her eyes. "And come back here. Because as amazing as that dress looks on you, I really can't wait to take it off you."

Her entire face brightened at his words and she nodded slightly, grinning up at him, "sounds like a plan because if you keep looking at me like that I'll have to drag you somewhere soon."

He grinned back at her, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Well, you just might have to drag me somewhere because I have no intention of not looking at you like this the rest of the night."

"You're not going to make this easier on me, I can do the same to you," she said, smirking back at him, the same mischievousness in her own eyes.

Oliver smirked. "We better get going. The sooner we show up, the sooner we can come back here."

"Let's go, then," she told him, taking his hand and tugging him closer to her instead of moving toward the door.

"Going," he murmured, even as he dipped his head and captured her mouth in a kiss.

"Mhmm," she murmured against his lips and kissed him back, squeezing his hand in hers.

Oliver slid his free arm around her waist, pulling her closer as the kiss deepened.

She wrapped her arms around his neck without hesitation and kissed him back just as deeply as she took a step closer to him.

In the back of his mind, he knew they really needed to get going, but he wasn't exactly inclined to pull away from her. His hand slid up her back until he'd reached her bare skin, his fingers trailing over it lightly.

Chloe shivered at that and with a deep breath, she broke the kiss, "you want to keep your clothes on, we need to leave. Now."

Oliver forced himself to take a deep breath, as well. "Want is a sincere over-statement," he grumbled.

It took another deep breath so she could force herself to pull away from him, she wrapped her hand around his tie and started walking backwards toward the elevator, "c'mon, let's get it over with."

He followed her without hesitation, grinning involuntarily at her. "Have I mentioned lately that I love you?"

She grinned up at him, her face brightening once more, "I love you too, Mr. Queen."

God, he loved that he could make her eyes light up the way they did. He stepped onto the elevator with her and pressed the down button without looking at it. "You know, we have twenty floors before we hit the parking garage. Let's make the most of it." He winked at her and kissed her once more.

Chloe laughed softly against his lips and wrapped her arms around him, kissing him back instantly.

* * *

Oliver pressed a kiss to Chloe's cheek before opening the door to the large conference room at the hotel where the office party was being held. "Thank you for coming with me," he whispered. Truthfully he was nervous. There hadn't been an office party at the Metropolis branch of Queen Industries since he'd taken over as CEO, and frankly he didn't think a lot of the people even _liked_ him. Some of the older people he was certain didn't like him. He supposed he could understand that--they'd been there longer than him, were older than him, and undoubtedly resented him for coming in and overseeing things. He honestly didn't know what to do about that, but he was hoping he could start gaining people's trust and confidence a little more starting tonight.

"Thank you for inviting me," she said quietly, squeezing his hand as she glanced up at him, still seeing spots from all the flashes that hit them as soon as they stepped out of the limo that had taken them to the event. Now that they were there and her hormones were subdued, her nerves were definitely taking over as well, all the heads turned toward them as they stepped into the room and it was more than a little intimidating.

He drew in a breath and let it out slowly before smiling and lifting his hand in a wave. Then he looked down at Chloe. "Wanna meet some people?"

"Sure?" She said quietly, looking up at him and searching his eyes, she had guessed she'd just hang from his arm and comment here and there politely most of the night, but apparently she'd been wrong.

Oliver dipped his head and kissed her cheek lightly. "Come on," he said softly, leading her over to one of the senior executives and the man's wife.

She squeezed his hand tightly in hers once more, not planning on letting go of it anytime soon as they made their way across the room, heads still turning toward him and she kept telling herself over and over in her head not to trip.

"Mr. Queen," the man said politely, though his voice and eyes were distant. He eyed Chloe with curiosity.

Oliver drew in a breath and let it out slowly, holding his right hand out to shake hands with the man. "Mr. Turner." He smiled warmly and then looked at the man's wife. "Mrs. Turner." He nodded and then glanced at Chloe. "This is my partner, Chloe Sullivan."

Chloe blinked at the word partner and arched an eyebrow at Ollie for a second before smiling politely at the older couple and shaking the extended hands, "nice to meet you." She told them, pulling her hand back, heart beating fast, she wasn't usually nearly as uncomfortable during social situations but she felt like everyone in the room was trying to read her mind to find out who she was.

He smiled softly at her, meeting her eyes for a moment before looking back at the pair. "Chloe's attending Met U and interning at the Daily Planet," he told them with a smile, pride in his voice.

Mrs. Turner cocked her head, studying her for a moment. "Are you the reporter who's been writing articles on The Green Arrow?" she asked curiously.

Holding her breath, Chloe tried to keep her expression from turning into a panicked one, she felt like she managed okay and smiled, wrinkling her nose a little, "I wrote a few of them," she confirmed, trying her best not to make it sound like a big deal and brush the woman's curiosity off.

"I _thought_ your name sounded familiar," she exclaimed, brightening instantly.

Oliver raised his eyebrows a little and glanced at her sideways, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Chloe chuckled softly, glancing at Ollie then looking down, her face getting hot again, if the _actual_ Green Arrow hadn't been standing right next to her, she'd probably be more comfortable with this conversation, "I'm fairly sure you're the only person who would recognize it, Mrs. Turner."

"You'll have to excuse my wife. She's a bit of a fan of this new-found vigilante." Mr. Turner rolled his eyes, although he did appear to be kind of amused.

"Nonsense. My entire Bridge Club has read all of the articles on him!" She smiled.

Raising her eyebrows, Chloe smiled at the woman, willing herself to relax after all, there was no way the woman would know said vigilante was standing right in front of her, "I'm glad you like the articles, I'll let him know people appreciate his work if he ever contacts me again."

Oliver bit the inside of his cheek to stop from grinning, giving Chloe's hand a light squeeze.

Mr. Turner studied the two of them for a moment, then smiled a bit, looking at his wife. "It was nice meeting you, Ms. Sullivan. Mr. Queen." He nodded at them before leading his wife away.

Chloe held her breath and nodded a little, smiling at both of them, "it was nice meeting you too."

He watched the older couple head away, then turned to look at Chloe. "They loved you."

Blinking, she turned to look at him and shook her head, "they talked to me for thirty seconds, Ollie."

"Which is longer than Mr. Turner has spoken to me put together in the six months I've been in Metropolis."

She frowned and shook her head a little, staring at Oliver, "you're his boss, doesn't he have to talk to you?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "He just doesn't like me." His voice dropped a little and he didn't meet her eyes.

"Why not?" She frowned, shaking her head a little and watching him closely.

"Because I'm a young punk who came in and took over when he's been here for years." He shrugged a little.

"Oh," she made a face and nodded a little, squeezing his hand, "I bet a lot of them have that mentality huh?"

Oliver managed a small smile. "Yeah, pretty much," he admitted.

Her face fell a little, she never knew he had to deal with something like that, "I'm sorry, Ollie," she whispered, "that must be hard on you every day."

"I don't really know what else to do," he said softly, kissing her cheek. "But I'll deal."

"Maybe if they knew you better outside of work they would realize how much you care about the company?" She suggested, looking up at him.

"Maybe," he agreed, nodding a little. "I'm hoping the massive holiday bonus checks in my pocket will do for now."

Her face softened a little and she looked up at him, then, without even remembering all the eyes on them, tiptoed and kissed him softly, "they should appreciate you regardless of your money and if they can't, they should at the very least make an effort to."

"Regardless of how they feel about me, I have you, so I'll be fine," he whispered, kissing her back.

She cupped his face and wrinkled her nose a little, shaking her head, "everyone should appreciate you as much as I do, it's what you deserve."

Oliver smiled softly. "I'm glad you think so." He held her gaze.

"I do," she told him, arching her eyebrows and smirking slowly, "and I will beat them all up if I have to."

He chuckled at that. "I actually believe you would," he told her, winding his arm around her waist and kissing her temple.

She wrapped her arm around his back and smiled, leaning into him a little then blinking as she looked around, blushing for the third time that night, "hm, everyone is staring," she whispered, looking up at him and forcing a smile on her lips.

"It's because you're breath-taking and no one can take their eyes off you. Not that I can blame them. I didn't even notice people were staring." He winked at her.

"Uh huh," she took a deep breath, "more like they want to know who the bimbo you brought with you is," she teased.

"First person I hear call you a bimbo is going to get my fist through their face and an immediate pink slip," he informed her.

Chloe grinned and rolled her eyes, "I know who I am to you, Ollie, I don't care what they think."

"I know. But you deserve respect, too." He kissed her forehead. "Come on. Let's start handing out these checks so we can get out of here."

"Okay," she grinned softly and hugged him slightly, "introduce me to the rest of them so I can make mental notes about who needs to get their ass kicked."

He grinned back, nodding. "Did I thank you for coming with me already? Because I don't mind doing it again." He was much more comfortable with her there at his side.

A mischievous smirk appeared on her lips at that and she arched an eyebrow, leaning closer and lowering her voice to a whisper, "you can thank me later."

He smirked back, and without missing a beat, murmured into her ear, "I fully intend to. Over and over and over again."

Chloe couldn't stop the shiver that ran down her body as his lips brushed against her ear and she took a deep breath, "hurry up."

Oliver simply grinned.


	5. Chapter 5

Oliver had passed the point of being nervous about sixty miles before he ever got to Smallville.

He'd survived a surprise dinner with Lois, a surprise confrontation with Tess while Chloe was present, Thanksgiving with the Kent's, and an office holiday party at Queen Industries. He had never been worried about Chloe making some comment and blowing things out of the water. He knew her well enough to know that wouldn't happen. It was himself he still didn't fully trust.

Which was why as he drove toward Gabe Sullivan's house in Smallville, he was bordering on terrified.

He'd never done the whole 'meet the parents' thing before. Tess wouldn't talk about hers, and she'd been the only other serious relationship he'd ever had.

And Chloe was someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

If he somehow screwed things up with her dad, he wondered if there would even _be_ a second chance.

Chloe had been looking out of the window every thirty seconds or so to see if it was Ollie who was driving up the road, she couldn't wait for him to meet her dad and she had no doubt they were going to get along just fine, but she knew Ollie was nervous, not to mention, she hadn't seen him in almost two whole days and she missed him a lot.

She had ended up driving into Smallville a couple of days before Christmas because her dad kept saying the house was a disaster and he wanted help fixing up the guest room for Ollie when he came over, Chloe had been wondering how the sleeping arrangements were going to go, but that had been hint enough for her. Gabe Sullivan was an awesome dad but if she were to guess, he would probably assume she was a virgin until she announced she was pregnant or something, so she didn't argue.

Oliver arrived at the house moments later, his face a little paler than usual as he made his way up to the porch and rang the bell, a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. He hadn't been sure what to bring, and was relieved to find that Gabe Sullivan appreciated a good bottle of wine on occasion. He just hoped that he fit the bill as being a good enough guy to date his daughter.

Not even half a second later, Chloe opened the door, her entire face brightening the second she saw him, "hi!" She told him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him an instant later.

He relaxed a little the instant her arms went around him. "Hi," he whispered, kissing her back softly. "God I missed you."

"I missed you too," she told him quietly, hugging him tightly, she hadn't even noticed the flowers or wine bottle until she felt them pressing against her back as he wrapped his arms around her, "I'm so glad you're here." She whispered, her eyes bright as she brushed her nose against his.

Oliver smiled, kissing her once more, lightly. "I'm not late, am I?" he asked uncertainly.

"No, you're not," she told him, hugging him tightly before reluctantly pulling back, "come in, it's freezing out."

He smiled a bit and handed her the bouquet of tulips. Granted, they weren't Christmas flowers, but they were her favorite. "Smells good," he commented as he stepped inside the house and glanced around.

"Thank you," Chloe grinned and leaned in, kissing his cheek because she couldn't help herself. It really was insane how much she had missed him. "I'd take the credit for it, but we bought all the food from the only local restaurant that caters Christmas dinners, we're pretty sure we're the only ones who order."

He grinned at that. "I doubt you're the only ones," he assured her.

"You clearly don't know people in Smallville," she told him, closing the door, "where is your stuff?"

"My car," he told her. "I figured I'd just grab it later." Or not bother bringing it in if her dad wound up hating his guts and wanting him out of the house.

"Okay," she told him, looking him in the eye for a moment and mouthing 'relax' before winking at him.

"Chloe?" Gabe called from the kitchen a moment later.

He held his breath at the sound of the other male voice, raising his eyebrows a little and nodding. Relax. Right.

"Coming, dad," she called, shifting the flowers to her other hand and taking Ollie's hand in hers, "this way." She told him, pulling him toward the kitchen.

Nodding once more, he walked with her to the kitchen where her dad had already set out all of the things for dinner. He offered the other man a genuine smile. "Mr. Sullivan. Nice to meet you."

Chloe stepped aside to put the flowers in water but kept her eyes on them, she didn't want to miss this after all, she'd never exactly brought anyone home before. Her dad knew about her feelings for Clark back in the day but they never dated so that didn't really count.

"It's Gabe," he told Oliver, shaking his hand and smiling warmly back at him, "good to finally meet you, although I feel like I know everything there is to know about you already."

He shook the man's hand without hesitation. "Likewise. Chloe's told me a lot about you." He held out the bottle of wine, hoping Gabe took the gift better than Jonathan Kent had.

Gabe raised his eyebrows and glanced at Chloe then looked back at Oliver, "I told her to tell you you didn't have to bring anything," he said, taking the bottle, "but thank you."

"I did!" Chloe told her dad, holding up the vase with flowers, "it's about the only time he refuses to listen to me."

Oliver smiled a bit. "You're welcome."

Smiling at Oliver, he turned to read the bottle and nodded, arching his eyebrows, "sounds great, do you think it will go well with the turkey?"

He paused at that. "Uh, you know, I don't really know," he admitted. "We could always save it for after dinner if you'd rather."

"No, we can try it," Gabe told him, nodding, "do you need to get settled? I think everything is heated up."

Chloe nodded, checking on the food thermometer, "I think so."

"I'm good," he assured them, smiling. "And everything smells good, too."

"I'll put your coat by the door," Chloe offered, holding Ollie's gaze and smiling brightly up at him.

"Thank you," he said softly, smiling as he watched her head away. His eyes were bright.

With a nod, she winked at him then walked out of the room with his coat, she wanted him to be as comfortable as possible.

"Have a seat," Gabe offered, bringing out the bottle opener and handing the wine bottle and the opener to Oliver, "if you want to take care of that, I'll get the turkey."

"All right, sounds good." He smiled and moved to sit down, taking the bottle and the opener with him.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out on Thanksgiving," Gabe said, pausing to pick up the heavy turkey from the over and set it over the sink so it could be carved, "I know Chloe was upset I couldn't be there."

"She was disappointed," he said softly. "But no one could really predict the weather accurately. Things happen." He smiled a bit. "But I know she's thrilled you're here for Christmas."

"I wouldn't spend Christmas without her," Gabe nodded, picking up the electric knife to start carving the turkey.

Chloe stepped into the kitchen just as she heard the knife and her eyes widened a little, "dad!" She stopped him, once then knife was off she wrapped the cord under the carving board then nodded at Gabe, "now you can go ahead," she smirked then turned to Ollie, "he cut through the power cord with the electric knife last year, nearly left the entire town without power for Christmas."

Oliver chuckled involuntarily at that. "Interesting mental image."

"It won't happen again," Gabe assured them.

"It better not," Chloe smirked, walking up to the cupboard and bringing out three wine glasses.

He smiled at her, watching as she moved around the kitchen. "Do you guys always go traditional for Christmas dinner?” he asked curiously.

"Usually," Chloe said, setting the glasses on the table, "dad and I can't cook so sometimes we just go out to dinner somewhere that is open, well we did when we lived in Metropolis anyway."

Oliver nodded a little at that, beginning to pour the wine into the glasses she had set out.

Chloe watched Oliver for a moment, waiting until she caught his eye, Gabe was still busy carving the turkey so she wanted to check on Ollie, "you okay?" She mouthed.

He met her eyes and nodded a little, offering her a soft smile and a wink. It was turning out to be much less nerve-racking than spending Thanksgiving with the Kent's, actually.

She smiled brightly at him and nodded a little, squeezing his shoulder softly as she walked past him to the fridge, she knew it had been a long time since he actually celebrated Christmas so she wanted him to feel as relaxed and at home as possible.

Within a few moments the three of them were seated around the small round table in the dining area, plates filled to the brim with food. "Looks great."

"Not as good as Mrs. Kent's cooking, but not much is," Gabe said before sipping on the wine Oliver had brought.

"There is no comparing, really," Chloe added.

"Can't disagree with that," Oliver said with a nod, watching Gabe silently and waiting to see if the other man liked the wine.

"This is really good, Oliver, thank you," Gabe told him, taking another sip of it before setting his glass down.

Chloe grinned a little, she could tell Ollie was pretty much holding his breath waiting for the approval.

He smiled, relaxing a little at that. "You're welcome," he said easily, digging into his food, and glancing at Chloe, amused at the knowing smile on her face.

"Well," Chloe picked up her glass, "Merry Christmas," she said, looking between her dad and Ollie and smiling, "I'm really glad to be with my two favorite men."

Gabe chuckled and lifted his glass too, "Merry Christmas," he said.

Oliver felt his chest grow warm at her words and he met her eyes, holding her gaze, lifting his own glass, as well. "Merry Christmas," he said softly.

The first, he hoped, of many more to come.

* * *

Much later that night, after the house was completely silent with the exception of the faint snoring coming from the master bedroom, Chloe stepped out of her room silently and walked toward the third bedroom with a mischievous smirk on her face. She had sneaked out of the house enough when she lived there to know her dad didn't really wake up unless there was an explosion of some sort right outside his bedroom door or something equally as loud like the time where she accidentally dropped her massive binders with newspaper clips that had eventually formed the Wall of Weird down the stairs, luckily that time she hadn't actually been doing anything she wasn't supposed to.

This time, however she wanted to be extra careful because she didn't want to make this situation uncomfortable for anyone and her dad finding her in Ollie's room was definitely going to have that effect on all three of them, even if she was just planning on checking on him before going to bed in her own room.

Slowly, she opened the door to Ollie's room without a sound and stepped inside quickly, closing the door behind her and holding her breath as she stilled, listening to make sure no noises were coming from her dad's room.

Oliver looked up from where he lay in bed, blinking a couple of times and then raising his eyebrows. "Your dad--" he started.

"Shh," she told him, glancing over her shoulder before listening intently for a second longer then letting out her breath and turning to look at him, smirking, "my dad is snoring, it's fine."

"Unless he wakes up and finds you here in my room." He frowned a little although he was already crawling out of bed, wearing only a pair of black sweatpants.

"Relax," she told him, rolling her eyes, "I won't be long."

At that, he smirked a little. "I think I need to prove you wrong."

"Prove me wrong that my dad will wake up?" She asked, trying for an innocent smile.

He chuckled softly, moving over to her and winding his arms around her tightly, pressing a kiss against her neck.

Chloe grinned and shivered a little, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer, "I'm really glad you're here."

He was quiet for a long moment, hugging her to him. "Thank you," he whispered.

"What for?" She asked quietly, pulling back to look up at him.

Oliver gazed at her intently, searching her eyes. "For inviting me. For..." He swallowed hard. "Letting me be a part of all this."

"Ollie." Her chest clenched and she tightened her arms around him, "it wouldn't be Christmas without you, you're a huge part of my life and I love you," she whispered, reaching up and cupping his face in her hand, "you don't have to thank me, I _want_ you here."

He held his breath at her words, lifting a hand to her cheek, as well. "I love you, too," he said very softly. "And you are my family, so...wherever you go, that's where I want to be. Always."

She leaned into his touch and watched him closely, nodding a little, "you're part of this family now, you're always welcome here."

He dipped his head and kissed her softly on the mouth, sliding his arms around her once more. "You are one amazing woman," he murmured.

Chloe slid her hand against the back of his neck and kissed him once more, smiling softly, "and you're an amazing man, which is why I don't plan on letting go of you."

"Then I guess that makes us even," he whispered before kissing her again. Because he didn't plan to let her go, either.

Not ever.


End file.
